Chapter ten
Her naked form stood in the moonlight. Silver streaks of light shone off her almost translucent skin. Her hair had grown over the summer, it hung in heavy blue curls down past her waist. Charlie observed the Goosebumps that had arisen on her skin. She held her torso nervously, biting her lip seductively to encourage the young man in front of her.
As she turned away and walked to the lake Charlie noticed the delicate curves the young woman possessed. Her slight hips and hour glass figure engaged a new part of the young man. A part he didn't fully understand. He wanted to touch her, feel her curves in the palm of his calloused hands.
Her breasts bounced elegantly as she reached the water's edge. She mouthed something to Charlie, but he didn't hear her. His mind wandered with the thought of all the other things she could be doing with that mouth.
A heavy groan rumbled from within him.
As he reached the girl her hair faded into a deep magenta, cascading just above her collarbone. She wound her small arms around his built form. Entwining her hands at the base of his skull.
A trail of feather light kisses made their way down Charlie's jaw, leaving small patches of heavenly wetness. Charlie looked down at the girl, encasing her face within both hands he kissed her delicately.
"I love you Chuck." She crooned.
"I love you too, Nymph…" he smirked, receiving a half-hearted smack to the back of the head.
As her delicate hand met with his skull, Charlie jolted awake from his dreamy slumber. A heavy weight pinned him in place.
Adam clung to his naked body. His longer torso hung heavily over Charlie's chest, crushing his ribcage into the mattress. As Charlie began to remove the younger man's body from his own, Adam's hands tightened their grasp on his lover.
"Stay." Adam demanded through slurred breaths.
Charlie smiled guiltily at the man before him "I have to go have coffee with my sister." he replied drowsily wiping the sleep from his eyes.
"No." Adam sulked. "Stay," his arms wound tighter around Charlie, completely pinning the man to his side.
"Are you still drunk?" Charlie chuckled. "You're such a light weight." He laughed, causing Adam to cling eve tighter to his form.
"Come and have a shower with me then." Charlie smiled. And then laughed at how quickly the man rose from his previously possesive position.
"Can we do that here?" Adam asked excitedly, his enthusiasm rivalled that of a child in a candy store.
"I can't see why not. I'm the only one who still uses this floor." Charlie smirked guiding the man expertly through the door and into the closest bathroom.
"See, too easy." Charlie laughed, undressing the taller man as he swayed, still heavily influenced by the whisky they'd consumed the night before.
A broad smile graced Adam' features. "Just a shower." He smiled embarrassedly "I'm still sore."
He held his member loosely in his left hand showing Charlie that it wouldn't work. The look he gave Charlie reminded him of a child, a child who had accidentally broken something valuable and was being forced to apologise to the owner.
Charlie laughed uncontrollably. "And you think I would take advantage of your drunken arse?"
Adam smiled toothily at his lover, shrugging his shoulders playfully. "I would." He joked.
Charlie knew he would. He remembered their first sexual encounter. Charlie was high on pain killers and other potions when Adam's hand made its cheeky way into his pants. Looking back on it, Charlie thought about how many procedures Adam would have broken that night. For one he was off duty, so technically treating any patient is illegal, Adam never actually emitted him into the ward and he had thoroughly taken advantage of his illegally drugged patient. Charlie should have cared… But he didn't, he quite enjoyed the drama of it all. How scandalous it was, and how they could have been caught. That triggered something within Charlie. Being caught? Possibly a turn on for me?
"Get in would you?" Charlie smiled stepping into the shower and beginning his cleaning ritual. Adam shortly joined him grabbing the soap from the canister and lathering it over Charlie's skin.
The heated water seemed to be bringing Adam out of his previously drunken state.
"Hold on." Charlie smiled, stepping out of the shower to rummage through the shelves.
"Drink this." He handed him a vial of Sobering and hangover potion. He watched as the man shakily drew the canister to his lips and downed the silvery liquid.
"Better?" Adam simply nodded in reply, wiping the hideous taste from his lips with the face cloth.
"Thanks." He stated with a scowl, "What exactly are you seeing your sister for again? Didn't you see her last night?" Adam continued to wash his mouth, taking in three gulps of hot water and spitting it into the drain.
"You. Actually", Charlie paused "she wants to know about you." Charlie's nerves suddenly spiked. What on earth did Ginny want to know?
"Why?" Adam asked worriedly.
"She kind of walked in on us last night, don't you remember?" Charlie frowned at the man's lack of drunken memory.
"Oh my, no actually." Adam frowned "I don't remember much about last night, just that we talked and then we were in bed."
"hmmm." Charlie groaned, taking the shampoo off the shelf and rubbing it through his lover's hair. "We did devilishly hideous things last night Adam." He teased, wiggling his eyebrows seductively.
"Come on I'd remember that." He laughed gently slapping his lover's arm. "Is she angry with you?"
"No, I think she just wants to be in the know. She tends to want to know what's happening. Maybe she's conspiring an intervention to get me married to a friend of hers." Charlie joked sarcastically.
"Charles, don't say things like that." Adam growled.
"Oh you know I'm joking. Who would marry this old body anyways?" he continued with his sarcasm.
"I would." Adam stopped Charlie from washing his hair, taking both wrists into his and pushing him up against the cold tiles.
"Adam." Charlie hissed at the sudden cold being forcibly pressed against his back. "You're still drunk, maybe that potion didn't work as well as I thought it did."
Adam's hands tightened on Charlie's wrists. "Charles, why must I be drunk to acknowledge my feelings for you?" he stated more angrily than Charlie was used to.
"Because I'm a man, this is wrong. Isn't it?" Charlie couldn't look at the man in front of him. His dream this morning had put him in a strange place. A place of insecurity about being in love with a man he'd only known for a few months.
"Is it?" Adam huffed angrily, pressing his face into Charlie's line of sight. "You're the only one that seems to have a problem with it."
Charlie's eyes drifted lower, "Don't get angry at me. This isn't my fault." He stammered, suddenly rollercoastering out of his previously cheeky mood.
"Whose fault is it then Charles?" Adam growled, "Merlin?"
"Maybe." He paused. "He made us wrong."
Adam's hands clenched around Charlie's wrists and then recoiled. "Charles, for fucks sake, I love you. If that's so disgusting to you then stop leading me on. I really don't have time for your school yard games. I am forty-two years old with a son and successful career. If you want to continue to waste time, do it to someone else."
"I…"
Adam slid out of the shower and disappeared down the hall. Charlie could hear the man race out of the house cleverly avoiding contact with Charlie's remaining family.
"Merlin what have I done?" Charlie scolded himself sliding to the shower's floor. Resting his eyes into his knees as he quietly sobbed.
Finishing his shower and redressing himself Charlie headed toward the apparation point just behind the property.
"I wondered when you'd get here." Harry joked as he answered the door, "Not to hungover then are we?" he joked looking down to his watch.
Charlie shook his head solemnly "No, I took a potion before I left."
"So, what can I do for you?" Harry smiled allowing the older male to walk into his home.
"I have a formal meeting with a certain female Weasley." Charlie stated sarcastically.
Harry laughed, "Yes, she did tell me about that."
Harry led the elder man further into his house, motioning for him to sit at the kitchen table.
"Coffee?" he asked after an awkward moment of silence.
"Yea," Charlie smiled, "black with two thanks." Harry nodded and made his way around the kitchen, boiling water and finding the instant coffee container.
"So big brother." Ginny entered dramatically in pyjama bottoms and a singlet top. "How was your night?" Kissing her older brother on the cheek in greeting.
To her surprise, Charlie answered quite cheekily. "Amazing, thanks for asking." He winked.
Ginny blushed, making Harry break out in a whole hearted chuckle. He liked this side to his brothers in law, they all seemed to have such character, such humour. Which completely contrasted to the family he knew growing up.
"So you're gay then?" Ginny asked after gathering herself from her previous embarrassment.
"Why do people keep saying that?" Charlie denied. Lowering his head to stare into his dark coffee.
"Possibly because you slept with a man?" Harry asked quite puzzled. "I mean that could have something to do with it?"
Charlie nodded and smiled. "You know, I don't know what I am." He took a shaky sip of his coffee. "I'm not going to say I am gay. Because that's just not true."
"But what about Adam?" Ginny asked almost angrily. "Isn't he a man, doesn't that make you gay?"
"He is a man. Yes, but I'm not any less attracted to women." Charlie huffed. "And it's only him. He's the only man I've ever felt like this about. The rest of them have always been women."
"So he's the one?" smirked Harry, nudging his brother in law with his elbow.
"You know, I don't know. We aren't even together, technically." Charlie took another nervous sip of his coffee.
"What?" Ginny exclaimed, slamming he coffee onto the table. "Charlie, you are so much better than a friend with benefits."
"But it's so much fun Gin." He wiggled his eyebrows at her cheekily, but by doing this he accidently showed his sibling an insecurity he had.
Ginny seemed to be thinking intently about a thought for a moment. Her face morphed through an array of emotions before she spoke. "So, do you love him?"
Charlie almost choked on his coffee, spilling a large portion of it onto the dining table.
"Gin. I really haven't thought about it." he began mopping up the spilt drink with his wandless magic. "He did confess his feelings towards me, which was weird. Only one other person has said anything like that to me."
"Tonks?" Harry interrupted. Charlie just nodded.
"Yeah and look how that turned out." He half joked, a sad smiled rested on his face.
Ginny could see the hurt in her brother's eyes. "It's not the same Charlie." She stated plainly. "He openly cares about you, and I think you care about him. I doubt you would have invited him to the family get together otherwise."
He nodded. "I guess so."
"But how will this work? I mean family wise?" Ginny coughed awkwardly. "I mean you two can't really have kids together."
"Gin not you too?" he sighed. "Not everything is about having children."
"Oh I know. It's just. It'd be nice wouldn't it?"
Harry spotted the anger brewing in Charlie, "Kids are not always everything Gin. And besides, Adam has a son doesn't he?"
Charlie nodded. "Yea, Xavier." He seemed to be calming himself down.
"See, they could be a family. Just the three of them." Harry smiled, seeming to get the best of both worlds for both the red heads.
"Oh fuck it." sighed Charlie taking a hasty gulp of his scalding coffee. "I can't have my own kids anyways. If we are talking about my personal life then you may as well know it all."
"What?" both Potters stated at once. "What do you mean?"
"It just doesn't work." He stated calmly, Charlie had become content with this factor in his life over the last few years. He didn't see any point in dwelling on the fact when there was nothing he could do to fix it anyway.
"I found out during high school. My body just isn't built to do that."
"Oh." Ginny stated dumfounded. "I guess that's why it always gets so heated when it's brought up. Right?"
Charlie nodded. "it's hard knowing mum will never just be happy with what I have. She's always wanting more."
"If she knew…"
"Ginny no." He scolded. "You are not telling her anything. Not about Adam, not about me and not about Xavier."
"Why not?"
"It is my life." He stated rudely. "I live it. I'm not just another Weasley. I left that life years ago. My life is mine to share, not yours."
"Gez, alright alright." She surrendered. "I'll keep it quiet."
"No, not quiet. You will not say anything." He demanded threateningly.
"I think mum would be more understanding than you think Charles." She stated.
"I doubt it. You're the baby, you have had three children before I have had one, you're married before I have had a partner and you have a relatively safe job. Compared to dragons. Of course to you she'll seem understanding. You've achieved everything she deems important. Me on the other hand. I have barely made it out of school by her standards. Forty-four and no children or wife. How could I possibly amount to anything in life?" he mocked angrilly.
"Charles, maybe we should go for a walk? Or to the pub? Or maybe you want to go and see Adam?" Harry advised. "You're getting all worked up. This can't be good for you."
Harry had adequate experience with the Weasleys over the last twenty years, and he knew that if you let them they would continue to get angry until something stopped them. He remembered quiet clearly Mr Weasley bursting a blood vessel in her eye because no one had the guts to calm her. Harry now feared for the man in front of him. Who was starting to show similar signs.
"I pissed him off." Charlie stated dejectedly.
"How?" Harry asked, holding his wife's hand to help her control her tongue and temper.
"I told him that Merlin must have made us wrong."
"Wrong?" Ginny interrupted worriedly.
"Hmm, that being together is wrong. Or gross, or something like that." Charlie hung his head lower into his mug.
"Merlin, Charlie stop hiding behind closet doors, just come out already." She scolded
Charlie stared at her aghast for a moment. "Gin, I can't."
"Why," she probed "are you too chicken?"
"No." he stated defensively as she began to make loud chicken noises.
"For fucks sake Ginny. Shut up." He roared, yet Ginny continued her teasing.
"What will make you stop that irritating charade?"
"Go and talk to Adam." She teased. "Admit that you're gay."
"Gin, I've told you already I'm not…"
"Fine whatever." She interrupted "Just tell him you're not made wrong. Because trust me when I say, you loving someone is the least wrong thing you've ever done."
Adam landed heavily in his apartment, crashing into a basket of washing that ceremoniously flew in all directions of the room.
"Fuck." He cursed. Trying to straighten the mess he had just created.
Placing the basket back onto the dining table, Adam noticed a large envelope sitting in the middle of the table. His name written in an unknown handwriting right across the middle.
Adam,
Alicia has gone M.I.A. as of 2300 last night.
If you hear from her inform me immediately.
D.L.M
The signature at the bottom of the note puzzled Adam, "D.L.M?" Adam questioned himself, "Who is D.L.M? Must be someone she works with."
Adam quizzed himself, Alicia hadn't spoken about her personal life in their previous catch-ups. They had only recently been close. During the finalisation of Adam's parents wills two years ago, Adam had been informed that he was in fact an elder brother. Alicia Marie Mead was the bastard daughter of his father. A daughter that never gained a mention in any part of family conversation, except his father's will.
Adam remembered being furious with his deceased father. The man had always portrayed the image of a perfect husband. Loyal, loving, a great father. But in the end he had cheated on Adam's mother with a side-street-whore. Fourteen years of marriage and then twenty-six years of lies. Shortly after adam's fortieth birthday the couple died in a tragic car accident.
"Muggle contraptions" his father had stated, "such fascinating items. I'm taking your mother on a scenic tour."
Adam had laughed at them back then, such a simple date. Such a simple task. Neither adult considered the torrential rain or oil that was on the road. Such a simple thing, ending in such tragedy.
In a way, Adam had been relieved when he found Ali. A young witch who would be able to help him sift through the legal obligations of wills and dead parents.
Ali had surprised him. Turning up with hot coffee, cake and a singular flower. Ready to deal with whatever type of man her brother turned out to be.
"Adam? Adam Mead?" she had questioned after he opened the door, her eyes not once leaving the tiled floor in front of her. "Did I get the right address?"
Still sporting a baggy pair of sleep pants and a mess of unruly black hair. He nodded. "And you must be Alicia?"
She nodded, raising her eyes to look her brother in the eye for the first time. The man she saw in front of her, shocked her. Her naturally dark unruly hair matched the man in front of her, her naturally green eyes also mirrored in him, the only difference between the two seemed to be their age, height and gender. She sported a healthy twenty-six and he had just hit forty, the corners of his features slowly starting to show his age. She thought about what she would look like in fourteen years, and hoped that her genetics were as kind to her as Adam's had been to him.
"Wow." She stated suddenly at a loss for words.
"Our dad's genes must have been strong." Adam agreed. Opening the door for her to enter.
As she stepped passed her newly acquired sibling her nerves began to take over her body. Slowly her Metamorphmagi heritage showed through. Her hair began to change from its original dark brown to a shade of teal that Adam swore he had never seen before.
"Ahh, but there's something you didn't get from our dad." He smiled. Pulling a lock of hair into her vision and smiling. "It's a rare day to meet a Metamorphmagi." He smiled.
Her nerves began to ease at the brother's touch. Somehow his voice and the stroking of her hair had calmed her.
"Hmmm." She replied, knowing her metamorphic abilities came from her mother's heritage.
Adam remembered a number of meetings between the pair. Often they would meet for coffee or lunch and talk about their lives. It had been a while since they last met. She would almost be twenty-eight by now he thought. They had often just owled each other or met briefly between work meetings. With him being a Healing Director and her beginning her aurour training, they barely had time for each other.
Adam quickly grabbed out a quill and wrote back to the mysterious D.L.M.
No, I have not heard from her.
Keep in touch when you find her.
Adam Mead.
He sent the owl back with his letter. Hoping to merlin that they found his little sister. Or they had just made a terrible mistake and she was sipping tea on a deserted island somewhere, just lapping up the sun.
A cold draft rattled throughout the crew room the next morning, making the room howl with frosty air. Charlie's hands desperately clutched to the ceramic mug containing his steaming black coffee. Slowly lifting the coffee to his lips he hissed as the golden liquid burnt his shivering lips.
Today was the day. Today he was supposed to put his emotional turmoil aside and admit his feelings for the only man who had ever shown him this much love.
The only man who had him on the edge of his seat in want. The only man. Man. And that was where Charlie came undone.
If it were anyone else he would have clapped them on the back and applauded their courage. But it wasn't someone else. This was Charlie. The fact that he prided himself in a non-drama-filled lifestyle, free from any 'out of the ordinary' social extremes was the hardest part of this.
Actually, that is a lie.
Charlie realised, his whole social life was a drama. From the hectic party life to the anonymous sex life, his social life was full of drama.
Heck, he couldn't even remember the last bint's name. Or the one before her, for that matter.
Anyway, Charlie thought, I'm getting off topic.
But then there's Tonks. Charlie knew in his heart there was no way that he could let go of her memory. Regardless of whom his next partner was.
A violent shiver rippled across his spine causing the chair to scrape eerily on the slate floors. Moving in closer to the table Charlie rested his forehead on the rim of his mug.
Why did I get here at six thirty in the morning? He questioned himself. As if he's going to be here this early. Trent's still on shift until eight.
Sighing heavily, Charlie rose from his seat to place the ceramic mug back into the sink. A stray tear fell from his weary eye as he scrubbed the coffee stains from the white porcelain.
"Are you okay?" Trent's raspy voice interrupted Charlie's thoughts, making him almost bash the tear from his cheek. "I'm going to take that as a no." Trent smiled sadly. "Come with me."
Trent turned on his heal and began walking towards the children's bunks. As they arrived, Trent opened the door and smiled.
"These kids have suffered nothing but torture. Most of them losing their mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters. Some of them lost more."
Charlie nodded grimly in understanding.
Trent continued. "But how many of them do you see unhappy?"
"Well, they are all sleeping." Charlie stated confused.
"Yes," Trent laughed, "but all of them find comfort in the small things, regardless of what's troubling them. These kids have nothing, yet with the love of the teachers and the other children they are content. They can sleep happily at night."
"What are you getting at?" Charlie asked, thoroughly confused by the young Romanian man's lesson.
"Look Charlie, it is none of my business, but, love can make you happy. Regardless of what's making you sad." He smiled towards the children. "These kids understand that, maybe it's time you did too."
"Huh?" Charlie was now thoroughly confused. Did Trent know about Adam and I?
Trent continued. "Look I've been married for five years, to a woman who everyone stated was the worst possible choice for me. But… I have never been happier. Sometimes the hardest choice turns out to be the one that makes you happy."
Charlie continued to stare at the young man. "I hate to tell you this Trent, but my Romanian is not good enough for you to talk to me in riddles." Trent laughed at Charlie's response.
"Talk to Adam." He stated slowly. "Did you understand that?" With a small pat on Charlie's shoulder Trent continued on with his duties and left Charlie standing in shock.
"Charlie?" a young female voice called. "You're really early. You doesn't get here till eight normally."
"Anna?" he questioned, she hummed in reply.
"Can I get up now? Mr Trent made us sleep early." Charlie chuckled.
"Yes I suppose so." He thought about it for a moment. "Did you want to help me make some breakfast?"
In an instant her eyes lit up. "Oh my god, I haven't dones that in ages, Grace wakes up, We's gonna make breakfast like with papa, but with Charlie. Wake up." She shook her sister slightly until the girl woke with a light scowl. A scowl that told Charlie this was not the first time she'd been woken like this.
Both girls clambered from their rooms to chase Charlie down the hall and into the staff room. In an instant the girls stood proudly, both wearing an apron and disposable gloves that appeared to be at least three sizes too big for both youngsters.
"Alright, Grace how many people are we cooking for today?" Charlie spoke with ease. An ease that hadn't been present earlier that morning.
Grace held out her hand. "Mr. Adam, Mr. Trent, Mrs. Terri, Miss. Alex, YOU." She smiled up at Charlie, holding five fingers up. "FIVE."
"Are you not eating Grace? What about Anna? The other kids." Charlie asked mock worriedly.
"Oh." She paused putting up two more fingers. "Well there's Jack and…" she began counting silently. "Fifteen" she concluded.
Charlie did the math in his head, confirming. "Yeah that's right, so if everyone has two pieces of toast, how many are we going to need?"
Grace looked up at Charlie bewildered. "Ummmmmm." She crooned.
Anna excitedly interrupted her, shouting. "Thirty." A large toothy grin spread its self across her small face.
Charlie loooked impressed. "that's it." he smiled, high fiving the four year old. "Grace could you please get the bread out of the fridge, and I'll show you how to toast it?" she smiled in response.
"Charwee." Anna interrupted, "we alsready know how to toast bread. Mumma and Papa taughts us when we was living with them." She boasted. Not seeming at all sad that her previous parents had been killed. Charlie wondered if that was because they didn't quite understand the finality of death. Or if they'd even been told.
Charlie smiled and ignored the comment about their previous parents. "Show me then." He resorted to instead.
Indeed the girls did know how to use the toaster, how to butter the toast and how to wrap it in foil to keep it warm.
"Wow." Charlie stated impressed for the second time this morning. "You two are much more grown up than I thought."
Anna and Grace smiled toothily at him.
As the trio continued to make a large breakfast for all the staff and children. Children began filtering into the dining hall. Some held books and homework the adults had given them, a few were practicing for their interviews today. Another held a mobile phone to his ear in a heated conversation. Charlie smiled. The scene in front of him reminded him so much of his life back at the burrow. As an adult it was tiresome and a little too much. But as a child. He could remember absolutely loving his siblings. The company, the joy of having someone to talk to at every given moment of the day.
The play, the fun. The love.
Anna shocked him out of this daydream with a flying piece of toast, colliding squarely into Charlie's jaw.
"Oii." he half shouted, then smiled when he saw her scared expression.
Grace held both of her small hands to her mouth, trembling with fear.
"Hey, grace its okay." Charlie smiled. "Come here."
She slowly walked over to the man, terrified of what she had done.
"I didn't mean to, it just. It just.. just….." she stuttered and began to cry,
Realisation struck Charlie. "Grace. It's called magic." He crouched to her level and placed his finger under her jaw and lifted it so they stood eye to eye. "You just did your first little bit of magic. Nothing to be scared of. I think it's something really special." He cuddled the young girl. His talk didn't seem to be calming her anxiety.
"Grace. Don't be sad. Now you're a people like Mr. Adam and…. Are you a people like Mr. Adam, Charlie?" Anna spoke to her sister calmly rubbing small circles on her back.
Charlie finally understood what Anna had meant all those months ago when she had asked the very same question. "Yes Anna. Adam and I are called Wizards and you and Grace are…"
"Witches." Anna squealed excitedly. "Mumma didn't know if we would be, she said that our mum was a horrid witch and our dad was a…" she trailed off in thought for a moment. "filthy… muddle?"
"Muggle," he corrected "but we don't say that sentence, it's really mean." Anna nodded in understanding. Confused for a moment, Charlie asked"Who did you used to live with Anna?"
"Mumma and Papa. They owned the building everyone lived in. Mum worked downstairs and we helped with food and cleaning and boring stuff like that."
Grace cuddled closer into Charlie's chest. "Why was I so scared?" she whispered.
"When you did magic?" she nodded. "Because everything that you do for the first time can be scary. Doesn't mean it's bad." She smiled and continued to cuddle into him.
"Parenthood looks good on you Charles." Adam slowly interrupted their little gathering.
Charlie stiffened at the sound of the man's voice. "We have to talk." Charlie stated nervously.
"I agree." Adam replied, "but not now. I've got seven Hogwarts letters in my hands and a confirmation from the minister that all children are of magical lineage. Let's get these kids into a new home." he started to smile by the last part, knowing that it was entirely possible to house all ten children in the one day.
Adam walked through the crew room and into the dining hall.
"Alright guys. Let's get a quick start on breakfast, two of you have got interviews today and in my hand I have seven letters for seven very lucky students."
Adam began calling out the names of the students who had received their Hogwarts letters. Each child grabbed the letter and let out a shriek of excitement. Minervra McGonagall had agreed that she could take up to ten students under her personal supervision at the school. Meaning that the students would become a child of Hogwarts and would be raised without parents. This decision had baffled Adam, as most of the children were only eleven or twelve and in his opinion needed parental guardians.
The minister, however, had agreed with the plan as he believes the students will prosper together creating their own family at the school within a safe and well-guarded environment. Most of these children also showed an intense distaste to finding new parents. So in that respect, Adam agreed this was their best option.
Jack was the first to open his letter. "YES!" he exclaimed. "OH MY GOD." He quickly whipped out his phone and called his best friend, Xavier.
The other students smiled and high-fived each other. They were going to stay together after all.
Adam presented the food to the students and encouraged them to eat. Trent smiled at the two men who, slowly disappeared back into the crew area.
"You wanted to talk?" Adam stated coldly, not lifting his eyes from the door he'd just closed.
"I wanted to apologise." Charlie sighed, "I've been… difficult for you."
"Difficult," Adam repeated sinisterly.
"Adam, there's this girl that I used to date." Adam's eyes sprung to Charlie in anger, he glared at the man unable to voice any of his raging emotions.
"And I loved her. A lot." Adam's anger was churning into a painful hurt. He didn't know if he felt betrayed over what Charlie was admitting.
Is he admitting to cheating on me? Adam thought painfully. In his defence we've never made things official. Adam's heart rate picked up. The pounding in his chest was becoming unbearable.
Charlie continued. "She was everything I could ever want and more, but it didn't work." Adam looked at Charlie in confusion. "She married some other bloke, had a baby…"
"Charlie?" Adam spoke still confused about this topic.
"And she died." He half sobbed. "I feel so conflicted about you." He stated.
Adam's heart rate plummeted at the admission of Charlie's ex-lover's death.
"Adam, I'm conflicted because even after almost twenty years, I still love her. Even though she didn't love me."
"You feel like you're betraying her?" Adam questioned worriedly.
"No." Charlie stated a little too quickly. "I feel conflicted by something she once said to me."
"hmmm?" Adam encouraged,
"She broke it off with me a year or two after school ended. She told me that I treated her like a boy, and that I would be better off dating a man if I wanted to treat any girl that way. I didn't understand her back then. But I did promise to prove her wrong."
"You prove her right by dating me? Right?" Adam concluded nodding his understanding.
"Yeah." Charlie smiled. "I haven't been okay with that… Until now."
"Oh?" Adam asked thoroughly confused by this whole ordeal.
"Would you please go on another date with me? Give me another chance?" Charlie half smiled. "I can't promise you I won't be difficult, but I will promise to try harder at being a non-sucky-boyfriend."
"You want to be my boyfriend?" Adam smiled when Charlie nodded. "I think that would be nice."
He stepped up to Charlie, placing both of his hands on the man's shoulders. Slowly pulling the shorter man to him. Charlie's hands wound themselves around Adam's neck and pulled him in for a delicate yet still passionate kiss.
Both men stood for a moment embraced in each other's arms. Charlie's head rested on Adam's shoulder, nuzzling into his neck. One of Adam's hands found their way into Charlie's red hair, the other rested across his shoulders. The two had never experienced such intimacy from each other before. Sure they had shagged, but neither fully understood their relationship until this moment.
Trent knocked and let himself into the crew room. "Come on lovebirds, the rest of the day awaits. And I need my beauty sleep." He smirked at the two men, slowly grabbing his belongings and leaving through the floo network.
"Ahah." Charlie announced, finally getting the answer to one of his first questions. "He is a wizard." Adam just laughed in response.
Later that evening Adam sat in his kitchen reading through all the paperwork for the day. The only two children that needed homes now were Anna and Grace.
He thought about transferring them to a new orphanage, or putting them into what muggles call 'foster homes'. But he couldn't help but feel that Charlie would be thoroughly devastated if the girls were taken by someone else.
Looking into the girls' heritage didn't really help either. Anna and Grace Walton. That was their heritage. No listed mother, father or any known living siblings. Even the couple that the twins lived with prior to the orphanage had no documentation. The couple was just listed as "Mumma" and "Papa". Which could be absolutely anyone. Adam recalled asking the girls for the couple's first names. The twins had just shrugged their shoulders and smiled unknowingly.
At least as children they could rebuild their lives into something worth documenting. It was just odd that twins of magical background didn't have extensive documentation. Even muggle borns had more documentation than the twins.
Slowly grabbing out a quill and ink Adam began to write the letter to Charlie:
Charles,
As of tomorrow, you will be transferred back to the reserve.
There is no longer a need for the orphanage, as only two children now need homes.
Anna and Grace.
Strange question, but are you sure you're still okay with not being able to have kids?
The adoption process is really quite simple.
Just requires your signature, the girls and a minister official.
Let me know Charles. Otherwise I will need to get someone else to take them.
Sincerely,
Adam Mead.
Ps. Please don't think I'm heartless. I'm not allowed to take them in myself because I'm registered as their full time 'Nany/doctor', as such, so the ministry would see it as inappropriate. The whole, 'No loving your patients' thing.
Adam sent his owl, Emmit, off with the message. He hoped in a sense that Charlie would want to take on the girls. Charlie had proven to be a good role model for the pair over the last few weeks and he seemed to really click with their personalities.
Adam remembered earlier in the day when he had walked in on the trio. Charlie had one of the girls on his lap as he comforted her through her first magical act. Adam didn't remember which girl it was, but the scene was beautiful regardless.
That was another thing, Charlie seemed to be able to tell the girls apart without any problem. The two were so identical that even Adam had to ask which witch was which. And he was their doctor. The only thing that separated them was a scar on Grace's lower abdomen, but in saying that, it was covered majority of the time so there was no way for Adam to be one hundred percent sure which girl he was talking to.
A loud knock at the door disrupted Adam from his thoughts. He stood and grabbed a jacket on the way to the door.
When he opened the door a large gust of cold air riffled through his once warm house.
"Yes, may I help you?" Adam shivered. Goose bumps rising over his entire body.
A man younger than Adam stood in his doorway holding a shivering child in one hand and a large suitcase in the other. Adam noticed that two young boys stood behind him.
All four figures wore heavily hooded jackets that covered a large portion of their faces.
The man nodded his head to reveal his unfamiliar face. "I am Malfoy, Draco Malfoy, and I am your brother in law. May I come in please?" he had a tone of annoyance to his request. Adam got the idea that the man was used to getting his way, and by being a Malfoy Adam was probably correct in his assumption.
Adam allowed the four strangers into his house. Slowly shutting the door behind him.
"So say again? You're my brother in-law?" Draco nodded extending his wet gloved hand out in greeting.
"I'm so sorry. Normally we wouldn't be out in the rain like this. And If Ali ever saw me carrying these three in this weather she'd have my head. But, I still can't find her and I'm getting a little desperate."
Adam noticed the youngest child, a young girl around the age of five, cough. "You sound healthy." He joked. "Let's get you out of these wet clothes. Yeah?" she nodded in silent response. Slowly slipping her hooded jacket off and onto the floor.
"I must admit, I did not know Ali had a husband, or three children." Adam stated curiously, still helping his niece with her wet clothing.
"Four." Draco stated plainly and slightly arrogantly, helping his two sons with their jackets. "She's pregnant."
"Merlin." Adam stated shocked. "What happened? Do you know?"
Draco shook his head in embarrassment. "No, I have no idea."
The young girl continued coughing, grabbing Adam's attention. "Hey sweetheart, what's your name?"
"Aquila." She stated shyly. Fiddling with her platinum blonde hair.
Adam took the time to admire the three children. Aquila looked identical to her mother but with her father's colours. She sported the same nose and eye shapes that Alicia had but instead of green eyes she had grey and instead of dark brown hair she sported her father's signature blonde. She was a definite mix of her two parents.
The two boys looked about ten. Adam realised they must have been identical twins based of the fact that he couldn't tell the two apart. They too had a remarkable resemblance to their parents. Both boys looked like a carbon copy of their father, but with dark hair green eyes and much darker skin. Adam smiled at them noticing that the two had inherited their mother's rare gift. Both boy's hair colours changed from its original brown to a lighter blonde as they warmed.
Draco introduced them. "And these are my sons, Scorpius and Phoenix." The two boys nodded their 'hellos' as they were introduced.
"Well, Aquila." Adam teased. "I think we need to chase that cough before he eats you alive." He smiled at her, conjuring a potion from the air. "Quick drink this." He handed her the bottle and she quickly downed the liquid.
Turning back to Draco she stated excitedly. "Daddy it tastes like skittles." Draco smiled at her impatiently.
"I'm sorry to be so rude but can we please discuss where my wife, your sister, could be?"
Adam nodded, motioning toward the kitchen. Draco walked as directed, simply forgetting all of his typical ways, in desperation for his wife.
The two men sat at the dining table with a large pot of coffee, the three children stood awkwardly in the hall, admiring all of the family photos.
"Do you have any idea where she may have run off too?" Draco started. "Do you two have parents that she could be hiding with?"
Adam shook his head. "No. Well I don't. Her mother may still be alive."
Draco choked on his coffee. "You have different parents?"
"Yeah. Shouldn't you know this already? You are her husband." Adam stated, now questioning if the man in front of him actually was who he said he was.
Draco smiled bitterly for a moment. "She doesn't tell me a lot of things. I didn't even know you existed until two years ago, she is quite secretive." He smiled into his coffee nervously. Adam thought about it for a moment, I've never seen a Malfoy so nervous before. What on earth is he hiding?
"Ahh." Adam smiled. "In her defence, she didn't know I existed until two years ago. We only found each other because my parents died and my father left her a few things in his will."
Draco nodded understandingly. "That does make sense." He seemed to be thinking internally for a moment. "Do you know where her mother is? Or who she is?"
"No. I don't even know her name." Adam shook his head. Writing a note to check medical documents in case she was listed as an emergency contact. "How did she go missing? Shouldn't she be under ministry watch whilst she's on duty?" Adam questioned.
Draco choked on his coffee, "If she had been on duty then yes" he coughed. "All aurors are tracked by the ministry." Draco started to show obvious signs of panic. "But she wasn't on duty. Normally I would have gone with her for a mission like that, but I was unable to last night and now she is gone." Draco hung his head, fiddling with his fingers below the table.
Adam thought about what he knew about the Malfoys. Back in the day, a man would have never taken care of his own children. That was their mother's job. Back in the day, a man would have never sat at a dining table in a small 'servants' apartment owned by a Mead. But Draco did. Back in the day a Malfoy would have had everyone but the Meads searching for a lost Malfoy. Back in the day, the Meads and Malfoys did not get on. A battle for power always tore them apart, either one or the other wanted to be the richer, the stronger or the better. Back in the day the Malfoys only had boys. Malfoy clearly had a little girl. Unless, he was no longer a Malfoy?
Adam noticed numerous deep scratches on Draco's now bare arms. Back in the day, a Malfoy wouldn't have done anything worthy of such a cut. The men never had a need for jobs, let alone anything that would cause scars that deep. Suddenly it clicked. The cuts, Ali going missing last night, last night was a full moon.
"You're cursed?" Adam stated plainly. "Werewolf?"
Draco nodded in surprise. "Ali always talks about how smart you are. I didn't think she'd be so accurate." He smiled weakly at the man across from him. Adam motioned towards the children in the hallway.
"Are they affected?" Draco shook his head no in response.
"No trust me they are fine." He stated false calmly. "I'm not here on medical grounds, Adam, I'm just here to see if there is anything you know? You have my full permission to do any medical checks on the children after we have this talk okay?"
"Okay." Adam answered the last question first. "No I can't say I do. Do you know anything about this mission?" Draco shook his head.
"No, she only said that it was their time to pay. Whatever that means?" Draco stared at Adam hopefully. He hoped that she had confided in her big brother before attempting this mission.
"Sorry I wouldn't know." Adam felt useless. "If you need somewhere to stay or a child minder while you search I would be more than happy to put you up?"
Draco's head rose "That would be amazing. Thank you."
"A Malfoy, thank a Mead. Wow, times are different now aren't they?" Adam smiled thinking about how his father used to talk about the Malfoys. "Waste of Space if you ask me. All Bloody Death eaters, the lot of them." He used to say. "Bloody no good, in-bred hypocrites"
"Back in the day Meads owned everything," it looked like it took effort for the Malfoy to admit that the Meads had actually been in power. "so I think a little thanks isn't too uncommon." Draco smiled going over to his three children and talking to them in hushed tones. He kissed Aquila and hugged the two boys.
"Thank you again Mead. I will be back as soon as I know anything."
"Please hurry Malfoy. This is my sister you're talking about." Draco nodded and disappeared through the open door.
Adam looked to the clock on the wall, it read eight fifteen. Adam thought about the times he normally sent the children at the orphanage to bed. Most under-fives were asleep by now, but Aquila didn't seem tired at all. Adam thought that all the drama with her mother may have been keeping her awake.
"Have you three had dinner?" Adam called to the three children, who shook their heads nervously.
"Do you like pizza?" Each child suddenly forgot how shy they were and began to explain the types of pizza they had had in the past.
"Alright a pizza and a movie and then we can find somewhere for you three to sleep. Scorpius and Phoenix you could probably sleep in my son's room. And I'm sure I can set up a mattress for you miss Aquila."
"You have a son?" Asked Phoenix "where is he?"
"He goes to Hogwarts, he's a little bit older then you two." Adam smiled picking up his muggle phone and dialling the pizza company. After quickly ordering four different types of pizzas and setting the three kids in front of a Disney movie. Adam picked up his quill and began sending frantic messages to the minister of magic, to the assistant director at St. Mungos and to any other documentable place he knew of.
Soon after the pizza arrived, Adam's owl flew through the window, landing effortlessly on the table in front of him. Quickly he untied the letter, realising instantly that it was a personal letter not one from the ministry. He sighed in slight disappointment.
Charlie, Adam Its Charlie.
I am not an old man, stop calling me Charles!
Yes, I have been offered my old job back at the reserve. The job comes with a three bedroom bungalow.
Whatever that means.
So, yes. Send me through the paperwork and I'll ask the girls' permission tomorrow.
Love
Charlie.
Ps. I don't think you'e heartless. At all.
Adam was shocked. He had not expected that to be such a simple answer for Charlie. He had expected the man to exclaim that he didn't need children to be happy. That adopting these kids would mean he proved his mother right. Proved that he did need family to be happy.
This thought was interrupted by another owl that Adam didn't recognise, flying through the window. There was no note, simply a file full of documents on Ali.
"Alicia Marrie Malfoy." He started reading.
"Born twenty-second of May nineteen Eighty-eight.
Registered Metamorphmagi at birth.
Born to parents: Claudine Walton and Harrold Mead.
Born and raised in Romania."
"Claudine Walton." He stated again. "That name sounds so familiar."
"Blood type: O positive….. oh twins run in her family. Both her mother and great-grandmother were twins." Adam continued to read through his sister's files in hopes that he would find anything that would help place her.
Glancing over at the three children Adam noticed one of the boys had cradled Aquila in his laps while she slept. The twins seemed captivated by the television. Having barely touched their pizza since he turned it on.
"Not hungry boys?" Adam called. Both boys smiled and began picking at the pizzas in front of them.
Adam thought about it for a moment. The thought that Ali had married a Malfoy. Back when blood status meant something and forced marriages were still common practice, a Mead would have hated to marry a Malfoy. The Malfoys have always had a knack for tarnishing their own names. Meads being a proud group of pure bloods would not have associated with Malfoys. Although, Adam guessed their marriage broke all laws of propriety. Draco was eight years her senior, if Adam could do the math correctly, Draco was a werewolf, Ali a Metamorphmagi, she would have been roughly eighteen when she conceived the twins and technically she's not a Mead. He smiled. Sometimes happiness calls for change. He had a quick thought of Charlie and smiled.
That man was really making a change in their lives. They were finally dating, again. Both men, both parents, both working it out. It all seemed really strange to Adam. The last few months with Charlie had really impacted them both.
"Uncle." The boy who wasn't cradling Aquila startled Adam. His hands resting on the chair across from Adam. "What's happened to our mum?"
"I don't know. I hope nothing, your dad and I hope she's just hiding somewhere so we can go and find her."
"Is she with our grandmother? Her mother?" he probed.
"I don't know. I hope she's somewhere easy to find."
"Knowing our mum I doubt it." he stated tears starting to form in his eyes. "I'm sorry." He apologised wiping the tears away.
"I'm just exhausted." The boy seemed to speak with the wisdom beyond his years. Adam guessed that was the Malfoy way of raising children. Making them respectable as soon as possible was something the pureblood families tended to expect among their young. Emotions were for the weak, definitely not for Malfoy men.
"Where can we sleep?" his twin stood beside him carrying their sleeping sister.
Adam pushed through the hallway and into Xavier's bedroom. "Here, I'll set up a bed for Aquila."
The boys helped Adam set up the room and quickly settled in. Falling asleep within minutes of Adam leaving the bedroom.
~YES I LIVE ;)
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Lots of Love, Just another AnonymousAmature ~